Motorcycle Jacket Buying Guide

Our motorcycle jacket guide will help you find the right jacket for your needs, riding style, and budget. 

Why we created a motorcycle jacket-buying guide?

Every rider needs a motorcycle jacket, which they should all have and wear. The biker jacket was once a popular style choice across the nation, but it’s important to keep in mind that it was originally designed for practical reasons before it gained popularity in the fashion world.

The original bomber jacket worn by early pilots served as the inspiration for the leather biker jacket. In addition to being a fantastic insulator, leather was also very tough. Leather was the best material for early motorcycle jackets because of these two advantages.

Motorcycle jackets have changed as the years have gone by. Now, riders have a wide range of choices when looking for the ideal jacket, leather being just one of them.

Because they are more airtight and lighter than leather, textile and mesh jackets have gained a lot of popularity. Riders in warmer climates can now ride more safely with hot weather jackets that still offer excellent protection thanks to these two features.

Before the development of the new fabrics, riders frequently rode in the summer without a jacket and without much upper body or arm protection.

Motorcycle jackets are made of a wide range of materials, and many of them are also designed with a specific purpose. Today’s riders can choose from a wide variety of bikes.

They can choose from a big cruiser with an upright riding position, a race bike with an extremely aggressive forward position, or pretty much anything in between.

Currently, there are additional options, such as riding off-road for motocross or combining on- and off-road for a tour and adventure ride.

Additionally, every riding technique has its own risks and challenges. In order to keep up, equipment manufacturers have developed gear that is specifically designed to satisfy the requirements of each different type of rider.

We have now reached the key idea of this article. There won’t ever be a perfect jacket or one that we can tout as the best a rider can purchase.

It’s crucial to understand that there are top-notch jackets available for every type of rider; the trick is to find the one that best suits your unique requirements and aesthetic preferences.

We will inform you of the various jacket types and their features in order to assist you in making the best decision for your ideal motorcycle jacket. Along with describing some of the available underlayers’ features and advantages, we will also provide some additional information. 

This buyer’s guide will not list specific manufacturers or brands, and we are not endorsing or promoting any particular equipment. This manual teaches riders what to look for in high-quality motorcycle undergarments and jackets

. In order to find the jacket and underlayer that best suits their needs, riders will then need to combine our information with their own preferences and level of comfort.

Safety Measures

This is the main justification for donning a motorcycle jacket. More than intended to shield you from the heat, cold, or rain, it is intended to keep the blood and flesh inside the skin. As a result, you should aim for maximum protection. Consider Iron Man. But as a jacket grows in size, it gets harder to wear because eventually, you’ll have to take it off and carry it around or try to cram it into a bag.

So consider it this way. 90% of you won’t use the jacket at dangerously high speeds because you’re riding on a street or highway rather than a racetrack. The safety features of a jacket are largely determined from two angles. First, visibility is the less significant of the two.

Do not undervalue the importance of being seen in order to avoid an incident. I have no idea why cheap motorcycle jackets are frequently black in color. However, wearing black also means that you won’t be seen, especially at night. Therefore, it is simple to look for

Safety: Reflective

Most motorcycle jackets have reflective piping or small seam-strip strips, at the very least. When light shines on them, they illuminate and shine incredibly brightly.

The thing to keep in mind about reflective is that the majority of them will shine in the direction that the light is illuminating them. They must therefore be placed where a driver of a car, truck, or motorcycle can see them, or else they won’t be as bright as you think.

In a similar vein, pay attention to where the reflective are. Right where my usual trouser belt would go at the base of the back of my jacket, there is a reflective logo. This logo is useless because it cannot be seen at all on the majority of sports bikes.

Safety: Armour

The type of armor is the second thing I consider. The cheapest jackets used to have “integrated armor,” which was typically just a pocket with some foam inside that was sewn shut. This is insufficient. What you need are pockets for a back protector, shoulder armor, and an elbow pocket that extends down the forearm.

Armor, ideally CE-approved, should be placed inside these pockets. There are numerous types of armor itself. Dual-density foam, memory foam, different brands of armor (like Knox or D3O), and plastic over foam are all options. Which one works best is outside the purview of this article, but they all function.

Check again because the back protector, one of the most important pieces of armor, is occasionally left out. Since the pocket sizes are typically uniform, you can typically upgrade the armor later on without too much hassle or expense if you choose to do so.

Safety: Fit

Three lengths are typically available for motorcycle jackets. The shortest ones just barely touch your belt. To prevent them from riding up, these are meant to be zipped to the pants. In order to prevent the jacket from riding up and showing skin, look for a longer tail at the back.

Of course, you won’t be able to zip up if the zippers aren’t compatible, which can happen if the jacket and pants are of different brands. These jackets usually have a sporty-snug cut and are comfortable to wear. But it’s also very challenging to pair these with jeans.

The mid-length ones overlap the trouser more than the shorter ones do. More overlap is preferable for safety, even if the pants aren’t zip-fastened to you. Cold-weather and jackets geared toward travel overlap even more, typically completely covering the crotch area. The greater overlap means there are fewer openings for rain and wind to enter the jacket.

The other aspect of fit is that you should search for a jacket that fits snugly. This means that the armor should naturally rest on your shoulders and forearms and should be sufficiently tight to stay put in an accident.

If the jacket is too big, it will rotate off the body upon impact, leaving the joints and bones below exposed. Better-functioning jackets will have sleeve slack take-ups on the forearm or bicep region, which can be used to cinch up any slack.

Convenience

The next factor to think about is comfort. This is crucial because, if the jacket is not practical, you probably won’t wear it. I’ll go over these three factors in order because, in my opinion, they are essential to convenience.

Convenience: Weather

The biggest problem with riding in India is that the weather is inconsistent and not always conducive to riding. That makes Mumbai convenient to ride in because the weather is constantly hot and muggy. Additionally, it can rain on occasion.

This means that you can usually get by with just a mesh jacket and a rain suit. But it becomes more difficult to prepare for Delhi, where it can be extremely hot, extremely cold, and rainy.

Mesh materials are a relatively new development, but they have already replaced leather as my preferred option for riding in India. Since I have repeatedly crashed in them, I am aware that the protection is adequate for street speeds.

To ensure that the mesh is positioned where the wind typically hits you, such as in the chest, look for large mesh panels or an all-mesh construction. Additionally, make sure the back of the jacket has mesh because the wind that enters the jacket must also exit in order for the jacket to avoid ballooning and feeling uncomfortable.

The outside of the arms, over the shoulders, and across the top of the back are common impact areas where modern mesh jackets tend to have stronger materials. These are smart ideas because they increase protection when you get off the bike while allowing the jacket to breathe.

I’m seriously considering a mesh and leather combination for my next jacket because I think it will be perfect for my daily activities.

Waterproof jackets are not appropriate for winter. These typically have a membrane or coating inside, and the seams are taped to keep water out. Keep in mind that if you’re careful, membranes will last longer than coatings.

These jackets are typically very warm and bulky, which makes them more problematic when you’re off the bike and just walking around.

Convenience: Off The Bike

This jacket has soft armor and is generally slim and form-fitting, making it very portable. Although portability isn’t a primary factor, it does increase the likelihood that you’ll wear your jacket to somewhat less convenient locations where you’ll be spending time away from the bike. 

The heaviest jackets can also be the most protective. Although it’s not the main consideration when choosing a jacket, the off-the-bike angle is something to keep in mind.

You may be tempted to forgo wearing your jacket when you are out because you know you will eventually park your bike and be off it for an extended period of time if the jacket is a significant hindrance.

Convenience: Keeping It Going

They do indeed require upkeep. Because leather in Mumbai has the propensity to become moldy in the rain when it isn’t being used, I detest it. In that regard, living with textiles is simpler because you can simply throw it in the washing machine without the armor and it will come out spotless.

Purchase some neutral upholstery leather nourisher/polish if you own a leather jacket. This is typically less expensive than leather polish. Before using it on the exterior, test it on a small interior patch of leather to see how it affects the color of the jacket.

Frequently Asked Question